Great Power
by Kaigoryu
Summary: Voldemort does some research, and concludes that the Metamorphagus ability is not random, as most believe. It appears in those of great power, through their families in particularly exceptional children. Voldemort wants to use their power to defeat Dumbledore once and for all.
1. Chapter 1 Skai, Raini and Fern

**CHAPTER 1**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Skai POV**

I ran to the window as fast as I possibly could. I had been waiting for this all summer, and I can not_ believe_ it's finally here! _My Hogwarts letter! _I thought.

I unlatched the window and let the bird in. Untying the letter, I grinned. I loved getting my letter every year. It's like getting confirmation that this crappy time called "summer" is finally over and I can get on with my life.

My summer vacations were always so boring, always filled with blank spaces of nothingness. My sister, Fern, is a year younger than me and completely totally _naive._ She's constantly hanging out with Raini, who is perhaps the coldest person I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. I swear she hates me. She'll just sit there and glare at my head until one of us leaves the room.

I skimmed through my letter, not surprised that the list had barely changed from last year and I still didn't make prefect. I didn't really think I would, though.

Fern and Raini both go to Beauxbatons, another reason why I love returning to school. I don't have to see them again for another year. Don't get me wrong, I miss Fern sometimes. She _is_ my little sister after all. However, I will never, _ever_ miss Raini. Ever.

I hummed happily and set my letter on my wardrobe. It finally seems like things will get better.

**Raini POV**

"Raini, will you do my hair, please?" Fern asked. She held her hairbrush in one hand, timidly sitting in a small chair in the corner of my room. Her green shirt hung loosely around her small frame, and her messy brown hair barely reached her shoulders.

I put down my book and grunted. I amnot the sort of person to go around painting my nails and doing people's hair and all those things girls did these days, but Fern needed _someone_ to look after her, and Merlin knows her sister didn't do a very good job of it. I grimaced at the thought of Fern's sister. She was girlish and smart at the same time, basically the poster child for 'perfect older sister', and yet she did a very bad job of it. _I _do a better job than she does, and I am a _terrible_ sister.

Fern held out the brush, and I took it. I ran it through Fern's hair a couple of times, smoothing it out. I started to French braid it, knowing that it always looked best on Fern. She hummed merrily.

_Probably just to annoy me, _I thought bitterly.

I finished tying the end of the braid just as Fern started to speak. "You know, we have a meeting with Headmaster Dumbledore in less than ten minutes," She said, nodding her head at the clock. My eyes widened. I had thought it was at _five_-_thirty_, not four-thirty.

"Well, why the hell didn't you _say_ something?!" I said angrily, grabbing Fern and running towards the fireplace. It was like everything else in this house: expensive. It was part of the reason I couldn't wait to go to Beauxbatons every year; not that that would happen this time.

As carefully as I could, I threw Floo Powder into the fireplace and said, "Headmaster Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts!" and stepped into the flames. My father would probably be mad about the fireplace; he was muggle and could not understand how I always 'walk right into the fire and disappear!"

Trying to ignore the upset feeling in my stomach, I quickly stood up straight and tried to look as dignified as possible. "Hello, Headmaster," I said politely.

"Hello. I was informed about a meeting with a transfer student today. I assume you're her?" He asked kindly.

"Yes, sir. I'm Raini," I said.

"Wasn't there supposed to be another?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," I replied. "Fern is coming now."

All right, we shall wait a moment then. Lemon drop?" He asked. I would have loved a lemon drop right now, but declined with a polite, 'no, thank you' instead. She didn't trust Dumbledore at all. Or anyone, for that matter.

Fern practically flew out of the fireplace, landing on her butt with Floo Powder coating her head and shoulders.

"And you're Fern, I presume?" Dumbledore asked.

"Fern Austerlitz, yes," She replied, shaking his hand.

"All right! Well, you are transferring from Beauxbatons, yes? Both of you?" He asked. His ever-present smile was starting to annoy me. I hope we would finish this up quick so they could leave.

"Yes, that's right," I replied, hoping I didn't sound as agitated as I felt. Dumbledore's smile didn't waver, so I guess I did okay.

"Well, your grades will not be a problem," Dumbledore said, consulting his notes. "They are excellent. I can tell you both work very hard." He said. "If I may ask, what is the reason for your sudden transfer? Most people stay with their school until they graduate."

"Well, I have family here, and Raini wouldn't let me be alone, so we both came." Fern said, her voice small.

"I see. And your sister is...Skai?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, sir," Fern nodded.

"Okay! Well, I think you'll fit in well at Hogwarts! Here are your lists of school supplies. Fern, you will be a forth year. Raini, you're a fifth. Now, the only thing left is...your house!"

He unlocked a compartment of his desk, pulling out a ragged and tattered old hat. My nose wrinkled in disgust. I did not want to wear that.

Dumbledore handed the old hat to Fern, who happily placed on top of her head. It slipped down over her eyes, obscuring her vision. Her mouth moved, forming the occasional word. After only three minutes, the hat yelled, "SLYTHERIN!" Fern handed me the hat, smiling happily. I eyed her curiously. How the hell had she managed Slytherin?

_Well, you're cunning, I'll give you that_, the hat said inside my head.

_So that's Slytherin for me too? I thought._

_It's not that simple,_ the hat said. _Especially since I can tell you want to be somewhere else._

_Ravenclaw,_ I thought.

The hat laughed. _Why? Your talents would be recognized so much more in Gryfinndor!_

_Because no one suspects the Ravenclaw. It's always the brave and rambunctious Gryfinndor, or the "evil" Slytherin, but it's never the smart Ravenclaw in the back. I could get away with anything if I play my cards right!_

_Hmm, Ravenclaw. Very Slytherin_.

"RAVENCLAW!" It shouted aloud.

"Right then!" Dumbledore smiled. "I'll alert your heads of house! You'd best be off."

He watched as they walked back into the fireplace and disappeared.

Back in my room, I was reading my book again and Fern was bouncing off the walls.

"I can't believe he accepted us! I was so worried we weren't gonna get in and then I wouldn't see Skai ever and we'd have to back to Beauxbatons even though I hate it there and...Hey, are you even listening?" She said agitatedly.

"Mmm," I replied.

"You're not! You probably don't even know what you're agreeing with!"

"Mmm," I said again.

Fern sighed and sat in the chair again.

* * *

**Fern POV**

"School starts tomorrow," I said. _Agh, no! That's the worst conversation starter_ _ever__!_ I thought. _Stupid!_

Skai lifted an eyebrow. "Yes, it does," she said.

"So...um...we'll be classmates now." I said shyly. _Why can't I talk today?!_

"Will we?" Skai asked curiously. "You didn't tell me you transferred."

"I haven't had time. We just talked to Professor Dumbledore yesterday." I replied. _I must_ _seem so little and silly to her! Honestly, I can't even say a whole sentence without stumbling over my own words!_

"We?" Skai raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Me and...uh...Raini..."

Skai pulled a face of disgust. "Really, Raini too?" She asked. "Why did let her come with you? She is always so stuck-up..."

"She wasn't going to let me go alone!" I said.

"Well, I hope she at least stays away from me."

I turned on my heels, storming out the door. All I she had wanted was to talk to Skai like all the other sisters I knew of. Why did she have to be so difficult? _She has no right to talk about Raini that way. Raini is a ten times better sister than Skai __ever__ was! If the tables were turned, Skai would __never__ have switched schools with me!_

I turned the corner to see Raini standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in a large black hoodie. Her hair was black, like it always was, with two electric blue stripes in her bangs. She had her book in her hands and was leaning against the railings.

"Did you try to talk to her again?" She asked, spitting 'her' like it was acid.

"...yes," I replied, looking down at the ground dejectedly.

"And?" Raini asked, raising a raven eyebrow.

"She insulted you. Again." I replied. Raini closed the gap between them and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Hey, look at me. I don't care what she has to say about me. If it really bothers you, then next time you talk to her, don't mention me. Steer the conversation clear of dangerous waters, so to speak. Maybe you should try talking to her about something _she's _interested in. Like clothes or Quidditch. Either way, don't let her get to you through me."

I nodded. I still didn't like Skai's attitude towards Raini. It was just mean of her. She knew I looked up to Raini, that I don't hate her like Skai did. Why couldn't she just _see_ that?

"Why don't you give her some time to cool off? Try to talk to her again sometime after we get to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, okay," I replied. I was going to wait a long time though. I don't know if she could take that anymore.

I just want my sister back.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

**Fern POV**

I awoke to the smell of fruit. I rubbed my eyes wearily. Raini was sitting at the foot of her bed, reading her book and eating an apple.

"Just when I'd thought you'd sleep forever." She said. "Hurry up and get dressed. We leave in thirty minutes." She got up and left the room.

I stood up, blinking as spots blurred my vision. Why did Raini always have to come in so early? Didn't she ever sleep?

I pulled a forest green sweatshirt over my head. Today was the day. I couldn't believe she was really going to Hogwarts. _Hogwarts! _Raini said it was stupid, but I was really, really worried I wasn't going to be accepted. Raini was practically a genius- not that she wanted to be. She hid it well, with her stay-the-hell-away-from-me attitude and her dark clothes and tendency to find trouble. I don't understand any of it. If _I _were that smart, I would never hide it.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

**Raini POV**

I walked down the hallway as slow as I possibly could, trying to avoid seeing Skai.

I dwindled in the doorway, hoping Skai would just grab something to eat and leave so I could go in. I listened carefully. I quietly peered around the door. Pancakes. She was making effing _pancakes_. Seeing that I wouldn't get breakfast if I didn't go in, I took a deep breath and walked inside.

I completely ignored Skai, whose gaze I could practically _feel_ on the back of my head. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and left, sitting down at the table in the dining room. When Skai walked in two minutes later, I got up and left, glaring at her as I went. Skai scowled and attacked her pancakes.

I walked back up the stairs to Fern's room. What was taking so long? She hadn't come down for breakfast, and we were leaving any minute. I pushed open the door to find a frantic Fern throwing things around the room, looking for something.

"What are you doing?!" I said, annoyed. "I told you to be ready _yesterday_!"

"I was _busy_!" Fern said indignantly.

"Just Accio whatever you're looking for and _let's go!" _I said, turning and leaving_. _I sat down on the couch with a flop. All too soon, Fern and Skai came down the stairs, and they had to stand by the door and wait for Fern and Skai's dad to come down too.

Eventually, we piled into their car and rode to King's Cross Station in silence. When we arrived, Fern and Skai bid farewell to their father and he watched us walk through the wall at Platform 9 and 3/4.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Raini POV

Once through, Skai immediately separated herself from me and Fern, running off to join some of her friends. Fern huffed. "It's like she doesn't want to be seen with us!" She exclaimed.

I was going to say something nice, like, _'I'm sure that's not it!'_, but I'm fairly certain it was.

Fern and I scaled the steps of the _Hogwarts Express_. Fern looked every bit as nervous as I felt. We scanned the train looking for an empty compartment. Why did people have to spread so thin? There was only one person in five of the eight compartments! I knew we had been blocking the hall for too long. I spotted an empty room to our left and pulled Fern inside, apologizing to the Hufflepuffs behind me.

We got situated, stashing our things in the space above our heads. Fern removed her mouse from her pocket, feeding it some king of food. I remembered when she got that mouse. My mother had taken us to the pet store. It had been where I got my cat, Beetle, and where it tried to eat Fern's mouse, Speck.

I looked out the window and into the hallway. I saw Skai walk by with another Gryfinndor girl who had extremely red hair. They left this train car and headed into the next one over. Behind them, a Ravenclaw girl about my age rushed by, a dark owl and a trunk in tow.

A group of boys in the compartment across from us caught my attention. They were huddled around a large piece of parchment, occasionally using a spell on it. What could they be doing that required so many high-level spells? And why did the short one keep getting slapped? I thought about it, but couldn't figure out any plausible explanation. The handsome one with shaggy black hair caught my eye and winked. I glared and looked down at my book instead. I swear, when we get to Hogwarts, I'll figure these boys out.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

**Raini POV**

"Hey, Raini?"

Fern's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"We'll be at Hogwarts soon," she stated. I nodded. Either Fern would keep talking and tell me what's bothering her, or she was just trying to start a conversation.

"And we're in different houses, so we'll be separated," She went on.

"Yeah, we will. But we'll see each other at meals. And on weekends." I said trying to cheer her up. I had read _Hogwarts: a History_ and knew that we'd even be separated at meals, but she didn't have to know that now.

"Oh," Fern said. Okay. I guess I didn't help much. Well, it's not like I could do anything anyway.

I glance out the window and saw that we were coming to a halt._ I guess we're here, _I thought. I grabbed my trunk and exited the compartment, taking a moment to wait for Fern and to stretch my legs. Speaking of Fern what was taking so long?

Just as I turned, the boys from the compartment across from me exited, sending me to the ground in a very unflattering position. As I blew my hair out of my face, I gave them a fierce glare and picked up my book and trunk.

"Hey!"

I turned around. It was the one who winked at me earlier.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He raised an eyebrow. Was he seriously expecting an _apology_? They _clearly_ ran into _me_! And, last time I checked, _I_ was the one on the floor, not _them!_

"Oh, of course!" I said, giving him my absolute sweetest smile, which isn't bad, if I do say so myself. "Honestly, where are my manners?" I flipped him the bird and turned on my heel, swiftly crossing the space between myself and Fern, who was fighting to keep a straight face, and failing pretty miserably. Once we were out of their range, I smirked, if only a little bit.

As we exited, I noticed that the students had separated into four groups obviously for each of the houses. They were all facing the exit of the train, waiting to see who the first years would associate themselves with, even if it was until the sorting. _Must kind of like a competition_. There were a few confused looks, as we were new and yet, obviously older. Fern squeezed my hand and offered me a smile before joining the Slytherins on the grass.

I veered of towards the Ravenclaws, identifying them by their uniforms. I stood beside the girl from the train earlier, just for some familiarity. The boys I had flipped off were in Gryfinndor. _Figures_, I thought. We only had to wait a moment before a mammoth of a man appeared, calling to the first years.

"First years over here!" He shouted, his thick beard drifting in the wind. "Others to the carriages!"

My eyes scanned for the carriages. Pretty black horses pulled them away towards the school. _Threstals_, I thought. I knew why I could see them. It wasn't for anything gruesome, either. My mother died when I was eight, of an illness she had gotten in a distant country. I saw Fern giving the horses a weary stare. She had been there when I stayed with my mother after she became bedridden. It was just Fern's luck that she had been there in her final moments. Despite my less than cheery personality, I didn't want her to see that.

When I got to a carriage, I scooted as close to the wall as physically possible, ignoring the three other girls who entered seconds later.

"So," The blonde said. "Who are you?"

"Raini," I said casually. There was no way I'd ever let them see how nervous I was.

"What, you don't have a last name?" She said skeptically.

"Nope," I said, not missing a beat. _Well, of course I have a last name, dumb-ass_! I thought. "My dad never was quite right..." I trailed off, looking out into space.

The blonde stared, trying to tell if I was serious. "Okay...well, I'm Charlene."

"What, you don't have a last name?" I mimicked, cracking a (fake) smile at the end to show I was joking.

She laughed. "What year are you in?" She asked.

"Fifth," I replied.

"That's awesome, that means we'll all be roomies!" She squealed.

"Yeah, awesome." I said, much less enthusiastically.

"I'm Faye," The girl with the light brown hair offered. She had really, really blue eyes. They reminded me of my fifth-grade teacher's.

"And I'm Emmy."

I was surprised to see the girl from the train and on the lawn sitting right next to me. I hadn't noticed her come in.

"Nice to meet you," I said genuinely. She seemed like the kind of person I might be able to get along with, and that's high praise, coming from me.

Our carriage came to an abrupt halt, and we entered the walls of Hogwarts.

* * *

The only thing I could really think was _wow_.

It was absolutely huge inside the Great Hall, and the enchanted ceiling only made it that much more impressive. They other students seemed used to it already, and they moved on to their respective tables, me trailing slightly behind. Emmy patted the seat next to her and I sat down. I wasn't used to having people make an effort to be by me, so it kind of threw me off-guard, but I guess it wasn't a bad feeling altogether.

As I waited for my turn to get food, I looked for Fern. She was in the middle of a pack of Slytherin girls. They were laughing about something, which I took to be a good sign. Fern caught my eye and grinned. I offered back a small one in reply, but I didn't feel like smiling much.

I ate quietly throughout the duration of the meal, occasionally answering Emmy or Charlene's questions, but stayed mostly silent. When Dumbledore made his speech, I ignored him completely, lost in my own thoughts. I do that a lot.

According to Emmy, we just follow the Prefects to our dorms and get ready for class tomorrow. I fell in step behind the others and just observed the halls of Hogwarts. If I stuck with Emmy, I could probably avoid getting lost. I'm not exactly stupid.

Our dorms were painted a deep shade of blue with white trim and bronze accents, which suited me just fine. The only bed left was the one with the window actually in between the poles that hold up the curtains. That probably annoyed everyone else, as that much light would wake anyone up. I put my trunk at the foot of my bed and went through my schedule one last time before going to sleep. I decided to just make sure I had it with me tomorrow and everything would be fine.

Between wondering how Fern was doing and worrying about how many classes I had with Skai, I quickly fell into a restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2 First Day

**Raini POV**

I winced as I stood up and stretched my sore back and neck. I must have slept on them weird, because they hurt like hell.

Groaning, I pulled on my uniform, cursing when I got to my tie. I'd probably mess it up somehow, and then go around looking stupid on my first day. I noticed that the other girls were taking turns in the bathroom, making their hair look prettier and doing their make-up. I just sat on my bed an read for thirty more minutes. With my Metamorphagus ability, I didn't need to waste time on my hair like they did. _I don't_ _think I'll bother getting up so early tomorrow,_ I mused.

I went down to the Great Hall early, following a few feet behind a couple of boys who obviously knew the way. I sat in the same place I sat yesterday, deciding it best to stick with routine, if it could be called that this early in the year. I squinted at the pages of my book, rubbing at my forehead. I could feel a headache coming on from my poor eyesight and strain my eyes from reading so much. I pushed on my rectangular reading glasses and sighed at how bothersome they were. I supposed it was better in the long run, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

"Hey," Emmy said, taking a seat. "How do you like Hogwarts so far?" she asked kindly.

"It's great," I said truthfully. "I didn't think I'd like it, but it's better than I expected."

Just then, more owls than I had even seen in my life swooped out from the ceiling, almost completely obscuring my vision. The feathery mass gradually broke apart to deliver their individual messages.

"Is it going to be like that every day?" I asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Emmy replied. "But you'll get used to it after a while."

I shrugged. I guess I'd have to, or risk a heart attack every morning, either one. I walked with Emmy to Transfiguration, paying close attention to the halls. I didn't want to have to be dependent on her her for more than a few days.

The Transfiguration room was large, with desks in neat rows throughout it. We sat down in two near the back.

"Don't get too comfy, though," Emmy warned. "McGonagall will move us as soon as she gets here."

As it turns out, Emmy was exactly right. The second Professor McGonagall walked in, she said,"Everyone to the front, I'm moving you around!"

The Gryfinndors and Ravenclaws looked at each other wearily, hoping they would get to sit with someone from their own House. No such luck. McGonagall paired each of them with someone from a different House. My partner was a quiet blonde girl I didn't know. She seemed okay.

"Listen up, class, because I'll only say this once. As a kind of test to see how much you remember, you will make these peices of parchment into ferrets! You may start when you get them!" Professor McGonagall said. She picked up a stack of parchment from a stack on her desk and passed it around the room. I watched the others for a moment, trying to see what they'd do. I was actually kind of shocked at how few had actually started. Many just sat there, as if trying to remember.

I decided that I should get started. The messy haired boy I had seen on the train with the other three was already done, a cute white ferret sitting on his shoulder. i closed my eyes and thought about what I wanted it to be. A ferret, with a long muzzle, pink nose, and black fur. I focused hard, and when I opened my eyes, the exact same ferret I had imagined was sitting on my desk. I smirked, looking around. Many were still doing nothing, just blankly at those of us who had gotten it. I mentally facepalmed. At Beauxbatons, we would have gotten detention for forgeting something this basic.

I surveyed the room.

Along with messy-hair boy, a girl with red hair and another boy with dark-blonde hair were also done. And Emmy. That was all. I really expected more from the esteemed Hogwarts. The good news is, it will definitley help my image as a Ravenclaw.

After a few more minutes of students struggling to finish their assignment, Professor McGonagall stepped in, looking angry. She praise those who had done well, and gave stern looks to those who didn't. She gave an long explination as to how one should go about making a parchment into a ferret, none of which I listened to. I was busy changing my ferret's fur to different shades of purple and black. slightly odd, I know, but I was bored. around the sixth time, my ferret snapped at me. Apparently it did not approve of magenta.

"No, no!" I scolded in a whisper. "Bad Mush." Emmy looked at me strangely and gave me a "what the hell' kind of face. I smiled back.

Towrds the end of the lesson, Proffersor McGonagall told us we could return the ferrets to their previous state and place our parchments on her desk on our way out the door. I dug one of my spare peices of parchment out of my bag and placed it on her desk with the others. I gently set Mush in my bag. I guess once you give a ferret a name, it just gets that much harder to turn it into a piece of parchment.

* * *

**Fern POV**

My first day did not start well.

I woke to the snarls of my roomates, telling me to get up because class started in ten minutes.

_Ten minutes?!_ I thought in horror.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!" I asked frantically, rocketing out of bed and towards my uniform.

"We did," said Hyacinth sharply. "Twice."

"Oh," I said. I did not remember that.

Hyacinth left, Margret and Penelope following after her. I threw on my green skirt and white bouse and pulled my robes on over my head. I buttoned them all the way up, as far as it would allow, hoping to cover up how messy I looked. I ran a brush through my hair a couple times and tied up my tie, grabbing my backpack and bolting out the door towards charms. She hoped Professor Flitwick was nice. It was only two minutes until class, and she had absolutely no idea how to get to the charms hallway. Another latecomer rushed around the corner a few yards ahead of me.

"Hey!" I said. "Wait!" He looked slightly angry, but he stopped anyways.

"Can you please tell me where the Charms room is?" I asked, a pleading tone to my voice.

He explained which way to go and rushed off as fast as he could. _Probably thinks I'll ask him more questions_, I thought.

As I entered the Charms classroom, Flitwick said, "You're late."

"Yes," I said. "Sorry, I got lost. I'm new." I explained. He nodded.

"Don't let it happen again." He resumed his teaching.

I tried to listen, but honestly, I hated charms. I'm okay at it, but I don't think it's very...interesting, to put it mildly. I busied myself by counting the stones in the floor. At number 37, Flitwick stopped his lecture and gave us the rest of the time to talk amongst ourselves. I just sat there, awkwardly staring at my hands. At this moment, I had no idea why I wanted to come here in the first place. I had absolutely no one to talk to. Why had the Hat put me in Slytherin when I was obviously a prime canidate for Hufflepuff? I felt like I knew nothing, and that even though the Slytherins were the supposed 'bad guys' in the school, they still had each other, and I was just...me.

I went through three more classes, yet I barely registed anything. I folowed Hyacinth everywhere becaus I didn't want to get lost again. I think it annoys her, but too bad. I have bigger problems. I pass Raini and Skai in the halls a couple of times. Skai was always with her friends, laughing, never paying attention to me. Raini walks with her one friend, blank-faced and silent. It's funny, really, how different they are. They're complete and utter oppisites, and and kind of there in the middle, with Skai's personality and Raini's outward actions and appearance. I walked into the Great Hall for lunch. I purposely walked slowly so that I'd be the last one here and not risk taking someone else's seat. That kind of backfired, though, because the only empty seat is next to Penelope, and if I had gotten a choice that would not have been it.

I stayed quiet. Trying not to call too much attention to myself. I had a feeling that if they wanted to, my roomates could make my life miserable. I caught Raini's eye a couple of times, and she gave me a sympathetic glance. I can;t decide if it made me feel better or worse.

She handed me a peice of muggle paper on our way out of the Hall to our next classes. it said, 'Meet me after dinner'. I guess she wanted to talk.


	3. Chapter 3 Herbology and Potions

**Fern POV**

I trudged out to Herbology, but my heart really wasn't in it. So far I had no friends, no contact with Skai, and practically dragged Raini into it all with me. I neared a huddle of my classmates, complaining about the smell. It had rained last night, and the smell of fresh mud was strong. No one even looked at me as I neared. I wonder if it's because I'm new or because I'm weird to them. I honestly had no idea I could be Slytherin, and until the hat suggested it to me, I didn't even want to.

I held onto my books, praying that we wouldn't have a sudden rainstorm. Abby, a small red-haired girl was next to me, as silent as I was.

"Hi," I said. "Do you know who the professor for this class is?" I asked.

"I think its Professor Sprout," She replied.

"Thanks." I smiled and walked back to where I was a few moments ago. Or I would have, if I hadn't _lost my balance_ and slipped in the _mud_.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks as I stood up, dripping from head to toe in the disgusting brown goo. I pulled out my wand and started vanishing the mud. Abby helped some, too. I noticed that it was completely silent. My classmates were just…staring at me.

"Yes? I barked angrily.

"Your hair is red," said Jonathan, a brown-haired kid with freckles. I blushed some more and changed my hair back to brown. Abby handed me my books with a small smile. I smiled back. "Thank you," I said. Abby nodded.

Professor Sprout finally showed up, panting under the weight of her things. She set her bag on a tree stump and moved to the front of the class.

"As I'm sure you have seen, class, it's has rained. Normally we would stay inside on a day like this, when it is muddy and we are unable to tend to our plants, however it just so happens to be the perfect conditions for our study on the Venomous Tentacula! Come along!"

The class followed rather reluctantly, as anything with "Venomous" in its name could not possibly be good. We entered a greenhouse that smelled of rotten meat.

"All we will be doing is levitating their pots over to the other side of the room," said professor Sprout, to my relief. Venomous Tentacula are very dangerous, and I'd rather not risk getting bit if I don't have to. We levitated the plants, and I let my mind wonder. I thought about Hogwarts, and the problem with my roommates, and pondered if Raini liked it here.

The class passed quickly, and before I knew it, we were walked across the swampy grounds and back towards the castle again.

"Hey!" I heard someone call. I turned around.

I saw Abby running towards me, her braid flying behind her. "You're way to fast," she wheezed. "Took me forever to catch up!" She smiled.

"You know, I was so glad when you came. You probably didn't realize, but we're in the same dorm."

"Are we? How come I didn't see you?" I asked. I thought it was only me, Hyacinth, Margaret, and Penelope.

"My bed is all the way in the corner, and I don't talk much. It helps because Hyacinth and the others usually forget I'm there," She replied.

"That's clever," I said. "Maybe I should learn to keep my mouth shut. They seem to mess with me every chance they get." I laughed. Hyacinth obviously wasn't very smart if she had been living with someone for three years and _still _forgot she was there.

Abby smiled. "Do you mind if I sit with you at dinner? My only friends are in Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, sure," I said. I was elated. Maybe Abby and I could be friends! This was turning out to be really good.

* * *

**Raini POV**

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate other people? Well, I do.

I have way too many classes with the Gryfinndors for my liking. More than half, in fact, which means I'm bound to get a seat by someone I don't like by the end of the day. So far, I ha sat by the Red-haired Gryfinndor girl, Emily, and some other Ravenclaw, but I doubt my luck would hold up much longer.

I stood outside the Potions classroom, waiting for Slughorn to show. I wish he would hurry up. My bag was killing my shoulder. The boys I had seen on the train rounded the corner. _Great_, I thought. _Just what I need. Not_.

I tried to block out their ridiculous conversation about Quidditch. Instead, I focused on the sandy-haired boy next to them. He was reading a large book, occasionally adding to the conversation, but mostly just staring at the book. I looked away after a while, once I realized I had been staring. It just kind of, _intrigued me_, that someone that quiet would hang out with those loud people.

"Oi! You!" I became aware that the bespectacled raven-haired boy was talking to me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Who are you?" He asked. "What House are you in?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Who are _you_? And why do you need to know?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm James, and it's for betting purposes," he said.

I vaguely wondered what they were betting on, but stopped when I realized the others were staring at me too. I decided it best to answer the question.

"Raini. I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Shit, I lost. I thought you were Slytherin," he said.

I crossed my arms. 'How could I possibly be Slytherin? I've been in the same classes and you and the Ravenclaws all morning," I said.

He shrugged. "You just act like a Slytherin, I guess." He grinned went back to his friends. I saw him hand a sickle to each of his friends.

I realized that they were probably just betting on my House, but what made me curious was why? Did it honestly matter? Maybe they just liked betting? I could usually read people like a book, but these boys were an utter mystery to me. Ugh, why was it so confusing?


	4. Chapter 4 Matters of Luck and Dinner

Raini POV My luck is gone. We entered potions, and Slughorn started pairing us up. Emmy got Remus, the dirty-blonde boy from the train and a constant reader. We watched them as they took their seats. Skai got a blonde Ravenclaw. Lily got at the blonde boy who was always next to James. James got a black-haired Ravenclaw named Krystal. And I got… Sirius Black. I barley kept my face straight. I wanted to punch something. Or scream. Or both. Absolutely nothing good will come from this. I sat down, placing my bag at my feet. I viciously bit the end of my pen to stop myself from expressing my anger through profanities. Of all the people in this classroom, I just had to get the arrogant boy from the train as a partner. I could see how much the other girls wished they were me. I could feel them glaring at my head. "Are you a Muggleborn?" Sirius asked from beside me, gesturing towards my pen and adding a smile to the end. "No." I said. I tried not to make it sound snappy, just…passive. I really needed to keep a low profile, at least until I pulled my first stunt. "Half-blood?" He guessed. "Yes." I didn't offer to elaborate. "I don't think Slughorn will let you use pen…" He said. I guess he was trying to be helpful. "He will," I said, doodling a beetle onto my parchment. Slughorn had adored my mother, who was nothing less than a master at potions. It was what she had devoted her life to, traveling around making healing potions for people in poor, distant countries. He had even cried at her funeral. "How can you be sure?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I just am." I replied. Slughorn started talking, sometimes winking or identifying the richer kid's parents. I tuned him out when he talked about mine. My father was the wealthy owner of a Muggle business. We began with making an advanced happiness potion. I put in the basic ingredients and stirred clockwise three times. As I reached down to retrieve a wider variety of ingredients from my bag, I detected movement above me. I darted out and caught Sirius' wrist. "What are you doing?" I growled. He grinned. "Nothing," he replied innocently. "You were trying to make my potion explode." I answered my own question. "Why." "Just as a little prank," he said. "I had no idea you'd catch that. I guess I'll just have to be quieter in the future!" He laughed. I released his hand and shoved it away from me. "Get it out of my sight." I said, referring to the light blue power he had in his palm. He just grinned some more and scraped it back into a vial with more of the stuff in it. I kept a close eye on my potion after that. He tried twice more to make it explode, once to make it bubble, and even attempted to Accio it out of my hand when I went to turn it in. I allowed myself a smirk when I saw the look on his face as I pulled a spare out of my pocket. I slid my paper onto Slughorn's desk, along with my vial. He smiled and thanked me. He put my vile with the others. I was halfway to my seat when he called me back. "Raini?" He called. I could feel my eye twitch. He called everyone else Mr. or Miss whatever-their-name-is, but not me. Raini is a loose copy of my mother's name, Ranette. "Was this written in pen?" He asked, sounding curious. "Of course not, sir. I know the rules." I said with a straight face. He nodded and I left to go sit back down. Sirius stared at me. "You just lied to a teacher," he said. "So?" I asked. "I thought Ravenclaws always followed the rules. It's like their sole purpose in life!" He exclaimed. "I'm not like all the other Ravenclaws," I said. He seemed not to have any response, and he left me alone. Until he tried to steal my pen. Bastard. Skai POV I didn't realize how many classes I'd have with Raini. So far I haven't had to sit by her, thank Merlin, but there's always a chance. I hate that she had to come here, and I have absolutely no idea how she managed to become a Ravenclaw. I had thought she'd be Slytherin for sure. I mean, she's smart, but evil. And Fern? How on Earth is she a Slytherin? She's acts like a total Hufflepuff. It's like they're trying to break every expectation I've ever had of them. I took a sip of my soup and glanced at Raini out of the corner of my eye. She was talking to Emmy Allen, a Ravenclaw I'd known for years. Shame, I'd thought she had good taste in friends. "Hey, you alright?" Asked Lily. "Yeah, I'm good," I replied. "So, have you met the new transfers yet? I heard they're really cool." She smiled. "Yeah," I said. "I've met them." "And?" "As good as anyone, I guess." "Maybe they're shy," Lily speculated. I said nothing. We went on to talk about classes and such, occasionally telling jokes or pausing to eat. Overall, I think today went well. Tomorrow, I only have I only have one class with Raini, which I'm definitely looking forward to. After dinner, Lily, Marlene, the Marauders, and I went to hang out in the Common Room. Lily left us when we got there, probably because she basically hates James. We discussed classes and Quidditch. James, Sirius, and I were on the team. Speaking of Sirius, apparently he had a run-in with Raini. "She's too clever!" He complained. "I tried to prank her like, six times! None of them worked!" "Well then," James said, smiling deviously. "I guess that next time, we'll just have to make it work!" "Are going to try to prank her?" Peter asked. "We sure are, Wormtail!" James replied happily. "Moony, what's the plan?" "Depends on what you want to do," He said coolly, looking up from his book. "Well, I don't know yet, but it has to be complicated. It sounds like she'll be hard to trick." Fern POV After, I followed Raini to the closest bathroom. She looked me up and down. I could tell she was choosing her words carefully. "Are you okay?" She asked. I blinked. That wasn't what I had been expecting. "Yeah," I replied. "You looked upset earlier," she commented. "I was, but then I met Abby. I'm good now, don't worry." She nodded, and we left the bathroom. We walked to the Slytherin portrait hole, dodging into classrooms when we heard footsteps. I wasn't worried if she knew where it was or not. If she ever really wanted to know, she'd probably just interrogate a first year or something. It was really better this way. "See you tomorrow," I said. She bid farewell and started walking towards the Ravenclaw Common Room. "Raini?" I called. She stopped and turned. "Yeah?" "We'll be okay." And there is the fourth chapter! I liked writing this one much better than the others. Raini is just so fun to write! Originally, Skai and Fern supposed to be much more different, but I just kind of started tweaking them as I went. Review please! ~Kaigoryu 


	5. Chapter 5 The Library

Raini POV

I nervously braided and unbraided my hair as I stared into the mirror- not that there was much to see. It's is now 4:00 AM on Thursday, which means I've been here for 4 days. I yawned. I'm so tired, my eyes look like slits and I can barely see. However, I can't sleep. I miss Beauxbatons. I don't even know what I miss. Maybe it's because I don't fit in at Hogwarts.

Sighing, I made my way back to my bed. I slip between the curtains and sit with my back to the headboard, legs crossed. Beetle jumps in my lap and I scratch between his ears. I pull him closer and hug him tight. One of the things I love about my cat is that he loves affection. Some cats would claw you and try to get away, but Beetle seems to like being used like a stuffed animal. He nuzzled my chin and I stared at him, tiring to think of what I should do.

I wanted to do something big. And mean. And not get caught. It seems like a lot to hope for, but I have plenty of time to plan. I growled and clenched my fist. I know just who to do it to: Sirius. That asshole and his friends have been trying to "prank" me all week, and they're failing miserably. I can't tell if they're really trying or not. Everything so far has been so childish that I can easily evade and block. I can't help but wonder if something bigger may be coming.

It's five thirty before I actually get back to sleep. I am groggy in the morning, and if it wasn't so early in the year, I'd skip class altogether and fake sick. I basically dragged myself out of bed and attempted to smile at Emmy, who, bless her heart, constantly tries to put up with me of her own free will. She mindlessly chatters on about Quidditch (The first game is in three weeks) and how she wished she could fly a broom but she was afraid to fall off. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and sat down in the big chair, waiting for me to hurry up.

My hair was still in its braid from yesterday, so I left it, not really caring that it was messy. I gathered my Transfiguration books that I had used yesterday (honestly, who needs homework on the third day of school?) and Emmy and I left for breakfast. We were fairly early, so we sat in our usual spots and ate our food.

"Have you been to the library yet?" Emmy asked between bites of oatmeal.

"No," I replied. "Is it big?"

"Big? It's bloody huge! It's got, like, every book in existence!" She exclaimed.

Wow. That was some library. "Really?" I asked, slightly skeptical.

"Well, no," she admitted. "But it has a lot!"

I laughed. "Maybe we can check it out when we're done. We have well over 45 minutes before class."

"Yeah, that's awesome!" She said happily. "Let's go now!" She said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me up with her.

"Wait! I'm not done yet!" I exclaimed, barley grabbing my book before I was too far away to reach it.

"Too bad! You'll love this!" She squealed.

"This better be one hell of a library if I'm missing breakfast for it," I grumbled. We were walking down an excessively long hallway now, thank Merlin Emmy knows where she's going. I'd get lost in 2 seconds flat.

"It is she promised, pushing open the huge doors.

It was the biggest library I'd ever seen, with huge books covering the shelves, metallic spines glittering in the light. They were in impeccable condition, unlike the worn book at home. I could see that there was even a Muggle section, where a large assortment of fictional Muggle books was gathered. I had read most of those at the library when I was in Muggle elementary school.

"See?" Emmy said, knocking me out of my stupor. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's awesome," I replied, smiling. "I can take any of these?" I asked.

"Yep!" Emmy answered cheerfully. "They all have tracking spells on them, so you just take them and go."

"Cool…" I said. I was starting to wonder why I'd ever missed Beauxbatons.


End file.
